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Is there anyway to power molex-connected thingy's portably? ie a car or something like that?
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Sure, but it's a bit impractical. You could make up an adapter with a cigarette lighter plug, a voltage regulator and a Molex plug. You'd need the regulator for a car as although it's nominally 12V, same as a computer, cars can develop spikes of 14.5V or so...and would fry more delicate hardware. When computers are put into cars, these protections are critical. : peace2: -
Well, its more for EL lighting, cathodes, and the sound-sens modules rather than a pc. could you help me out with what and why i need to do?Comment
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Well, if it's nothing terribly sensitive or expensive, it should work. Most of the lights, electroluminescent wire, etc. was all used on cars before it was used for computers. In the US, those accessories you mentioned are sold ready to install into cars at WalMart, Pep Boys, and so on. The wiring is simple, just a power and a neutral, but make sure it's a 12V device! Many computer lights (LEDs in particular) run off the 5V circuit also found on a Molex connector. For the simplest connection, just buy insulated crimp-on connectors for the wire gauge of the component, cut and strip the wires, crimp the red to red and black to black of a 12V cigarette lighter type plug and plug it in. I prefer to use solder and shrink tubing myself for a more durable and cleaner connection. If you've looked around at computer mods, there's a push-in cigarette lighter mod that fits in a 5 1/2" bay, so you can use devices with that same plug style on your computer as well (I find it very handy for charging a cell phone or running a CD or MP3 player). On a car, your voltage is not as tightly regulated as a computer power supply, and varies greatly due to the alternator spinning at different speeds. Voltage regulators are necessary for installing computers in cars, but that does nothing for undervoltage, which can cause premature failure of electronics. Auto accessories are designed for a wider voltage range, and things like stereo amps just love the extra voltage.
I hope this helps you, and happy modding! :cheers:Comment
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